Sirius
by Commentaholic's Dad
Summary: A story about how scientists might go about actually creating the technology that was described in the dogs of "UP"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I was allready working on this story long before I knew that the movie UP would come out with a dog collar that could make dogs talk. This revelation when I saw the movie kind of killed the story for me, but I found it my files recently and thought I might roll it out and see if there is any interest for it. It's not really the world of UP but a possible scenario in which someone could work out a way to communicate with and enhance the intelligence of our canine friends. Hope you enjoy. Review if you like it, or have any suggestions.**

It was going to be a terrible day. Someone was coming in from Sacramento, and I don't think anything upsets my master more than one of them poking around and asking silly questions. They usually don't find too much to complain about, but it makes him nervous. We were all healthy, growing well and strong. Their pens were clean, spotless in fact. All of the other dogs were not sure why but they too could feel the raw edge of emotion that lingered in the air. One of them whined softly in his cage, pacing to and fro, before plopping down with a thump. I did not pace, but laid silently, only my eyes betraying my nervousness as they traveled around the room.

The room contained stainless steel tables and racks filled with test equipment. I didn't normally have to stay in my cage like the others, but today, as I said before, was special. Josh wore his white lab coat and a tie. He rocked back and forth, his balance shifting slowly from toe to heel and back again as he listened to the woman with the intriguing perfume and the husky low voice.

"I know you have made cuts, Dr. Martin," she said apologetically, "but the budget is a mess and we have no choice"

"Donna, you know that these animals show far more promise than anything we have tried before," he replied, a small sliver of anger creeping into his voice.

"Some progress has been made," she admitted, "Save your research materials and publish. You can always start where you left off when discretionary funds for things like this become available again."

Josh crossed his arms and remained silent. I could tell he was counting to ten. I thought he was going to raise his voice, but when it finally came out it was almost a whisper.

"Let me show you something"

He walked to the side of the room that held the wire cages and turned down my row stopping directly in front of me and bent down, His body blocked the harsh florescent lamps above. I could hear the click of high heels as the woman followed.

"This is Joan" he said, opening the clasp on the cage door and pulling back the wire mesh. I stepped out onto the cold tile floor and into the light.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I just stood there and tried to wag my tail. I have never been able to do that well. The enhancements the human scientists had made to my brain had also served to remove that primitive reflex. I had found, though, people expected it. When a dog doesn't wag people assume she is unfriendly and might bite them. Since I had only been able to accomplish a couple of feeble swings I did the next best thing and licked her hand. It tasted like the inside of a purse.

"What a beautiful girl you are," the woman crooned, "Yellow Labrador?"

"That's right" Josh replied. "One of the smartest breeds to begin with… and now…" he trailed off.

Turning his attention from the woman, he knelt and put one hand on my head.

"Joan" he said softly, "I would like you to help me convince this nice lady here that what we are doing here is important."

"I whele do mah bhest Yosh" I huffed, the airy sound of my barkspeak sounding strange even to myself. The woman made a strangled cry and stepped backwards, too far. Her outswung arm and then her shoulder crashed into the cages bringing forth a deafening chorus of cries, barks and howls from the frightened occupants within. The smell of their fear mixed with hers, flooded the room. She turned and fled leaving behind a single stiletto heel. I picked it up and carried it gently as I followed Josh after her and out of the room.

We caught up with her at one of the security doors, pulling frantically on the unyielding handle. Her surprise and fear turned to anger as she whirled about.

"I …I... should have been informed about this!" she stammered as a red flush began to replace the white of fear. She looked rather ridiculous to me standing on one shoe, her torn stocking bunched up and hanging at the base of her foot, an inch off the floor. I dropped the shoe where she could pull it toward her with her toe and tried to wag again. I was pleased to see no drool on it. She eyed me suspiciously.

"What does it really understand?" she finally managed to whisper.

Josh had been standing silently with an amused smile on his face, but I could still smell his anxiety.

"Quite a lot, actually" He replied softly. "I'd like you to get to know Joan a little, would you be willing to give us a little more of your time?" She looked back toward me and I finally managed to get a couple of synchronized tail movements together. That must have finally done the trick because she nodded slowly and let out a little affirming grunt. I nosed the shoe toward her again and she bent down to slip it back on. Her eyes remained locked on mine until she stood again assuming her business-like demeanor.

"Where to?" She demanded briskly. I turned and led the way down the hall, my toenails clicking softly on the white tile. This should prove to be interesting.

I wanted my mouth helper since I figured I would have to answer a lot of questions. I turned right at the corner instead of left into the lab and pawed at Jimmy's door. Jimmy was surprised to see me, but opened the door. He was even more surprised when he looked up and saw Josh and an unexpected female visitor turn the corner and come up behind me. His eyes betrayed the questions he wanted to blurt out, but a look from Josh stopped him cold.

"Mmowf pwees" I huffed, surprising Jimmy even more, if that were possible. Another look from Josh and Jimmy turned and disappeared into the room, reappearing in a few moments with an elongated opaque white plastic device shaped suspiciously like the underside of my jaw. He attached it as usual, placing the back of it under my collar and flipped the small toggle switch.

Jimmy is a bona-fide genius, even for a human. He has a couple of engineering degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He had fashioned this "mouth" for me using a combination of touch sensitive pads and microphones. It helped me compensate for shortcomings I found rather annoying about canine lips. With it I was able to use my strong jaw muscles as well as subvocalization to cause the plastic "mouth" to create an approximation of human speech. The synthesized voice came out of a small speaker located at the base of my collar. I liked that it was female. Jimmy had fed recordings of the voice of one of his old girlfriends into a computer for the basic sounds and timbre, letting a synthesizer fill in the gaps. He had also said she was hot, but that just sounded uncomfortable to me. You humans don't appreciate how warm we can get covered with fur and lacking sweat glands.

"Where to boss?" I asked, looking at Josh. "What do you have in mind?"

The woman looked back and forth between us, her face filled with questions. Josh smiled and surprised me

"Let's go outside" he said. I felt myself getting excited. Jimmy raised his eyebrows.

"You sure boss?" I gave him one last chance. "I might not be able to control myself"

"You will do just fine" he replied. "I think we all need some fresh air"

Josh led the way down the hall, stopping only to slide his security card through the slots in several doors. They clicked as he pulled them open. I could smell fresh cut grass and began to hear the sound of muffled conversation in the lobby as we made our way down the hall toward the large glass front doors of the facility. Our receptionist, Amanda, looked up from her telephone conversation with a startled little jerk as she saw us heading for the doors. Josh waved her off and pushed outward into the sunshine.

I felt giddy. The sensory overload was something I had tried to become used to, but it always took me a while. Since I was still trying to make a good first impression, I forced myself to fall into line behind Josh and the woman as they headed for a bench under a large tree. They sat and I lay down in the cool grass facing them. We sat for a while. The sounds of car traffic and distant insects filled the air. Finally, the woman spoke.

"Dr. Joshua Martin, just what have you been doing here?" she asked incredulously. Josh didn't answer but reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a yellowish-green object I recognized instantly as a tennis ball. I could not contain myself and leapt to my feet bouncing up and down, my eyes riveted to the new object of my desire.

"Joan is a dog" he said casually, tossing the ball casually back over my shoulder and well into the center of the lawn behind me. I quivered with anticipation as he made me wait a few seconds longer, then I turned and exploded away as released me with a small gesture of his hand. In just seconds I was back, dropping the ball at his feet, bobbing my head up and down anxious for him to pick it up for another toss.

"She still has ninety five percent pure and unaltered Canis Lupis Familiaris genetic material." He continued picking up the ball and flicking it back over me. I pivoted and bolted away in pursuit. This time I caught it in the air, leaping forward before it could bounce twice. I wanted to hear this! He wasn't playing fair. I sped back.

"…The changes we have made with Joan, although significant and spectacular are much less drastic than those done over the last 15,000 years by selective breeding." He continued. I got even with him by dropping the ball slightly out of reach so that he had to reach forward drastically to pick it up. He shot me a dirty look, but retrieved it, sending me off again. I was breathing heavily and getting pretty warm by the time I returned again. The woman had sat back with her arms crossed in front of her, a sudden wrinkle creased her forehead just below her dark hair.

"Is Joan the only one that can…. Talk" she asked. Josh gestured for the ball which I rolled obediently toward him. He held it, though, while he answered.

"Yes… so far…. We don't even really know what we did," he paused, "right" he finished at last, looking at me with that dopey loving smile on his face that I can't resist. Since it didn't look like he was going to throw it again, I dropped to the cool grass panting.

"I… don't…know...how you...expect me… to talk… to… the…lady.. when you.. do… that…" I managed to finally get out. The little speaker hissed strangely between my words at my heavy breathing. The woman and Josh both laughed. Their voices blended nicely in combination.

"I wanted Donna, er, I mean Ms. Corbin to know you are all dog" he said smiling broadly. "As soon as you catch your breath, we can let her ask you a few questions."

We talked for about half an hour, interrupted in the middle by Jimmy who popped his head out the glass door for a look around. He glanced over at us, shook his head strangely, and went back inside. Donna asked me what I could remember and how it felt to walk on four feet. These really are silly questions as I really have no basis for comparison. I still can't really understand how humans get around on two. I'm always afraid they are going to fall over. As to my memories, I have always had enhanced brain development so I don't know what is normal. Other dogs seem kind of stupid, but again, my experience is limited. Josh tells me all the dogs in our lab are all way above average but I'm not impressed. I'm actually dreading running into the normal ones if that's the case. I guess it would be like a human talking with a chimpanzee. I suppose my love life is going to be a disaster. Unless Josh can figure out how he did this to me again, I will probably have to marry for looks.

"That's going to have to do it for today" Josh finally broke in. "I want to get Joan back inside before people start leaving work for the day. Almost nobody else knows how far Joan has come". Donna nodded in acknowledgment. Suddenly aware that the mood was broken, she assumed her business-like tone.

"I've obviously got some calls to make," she said briskly. "This changes things…. I just wish you had picked a year with less of a budget disaster in the works!" We all stood to our feet and Josh startled her slightly by leaning in and placing his hand on her arm.

"Please don't tell any more people than you have to…at least for a while longer" he asked. A concerned smile passed across his face as he looked down at me. "I want to protect her as much as possible". Donna looked down at me then back up to meet his green eyes with hers.

"I'll do what I can," she replied, "but we've got to get the money". She turned and headed for the parking lot. Only I saw her look back and only for an instant. Josh and I went back through the glass doors and into the cool dim lobby of the building. Jimmy was there, a skeptical look on his face.

"Looks like you let the dog out of the bag, Boss!" he tried to joke, forcing a grin.

"Bureaucrats!" Josh muttered angrily, stomping down the hall. I followed obediently behind him. The grassy smell of the slightly soggy tennis ball, still clutched in his left hand, created a strange haunting desire to chase and retrieve that I will never understand with my rational mind. I guess there are worse addictions.

"Hey boss," I whined, "how about lunch… All this excitement has made me hungry!" He turned around and looked at me with a big smile.

"Joan, you are always hungry!"

**A/N**

**So there is chapter 1. If there is interest, I have a few more chapters allready written. If I get no response for this one, I'll probably save it or put it up on fiction press. I love reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N This is the second installment of the UP fanfiction, although it is barely associated to that story in that it was the only fanfic in which I could remember a dog being able to talk. Thanks to my favorite reviewer Arty Thrip for her faithful practice of actually reading AND replying to my stories. You probably know how much that means to me, but I wanted to give you a special thanks. Enjoy and Review (that's for the rest of you!**

About an hour after lunch, Josh dropped by the kennel and took me on a walk. I love these one on one times together. We don't get nearly as much of a chance to simply be together as we used to. I understand, but it still makes me sad. I think it bothers him too. He has been so busy working with genetic sequencing and DNA analysis. When I was very young and the only puppy in the place, he would read Dr. Seuss books to me. I would lay across his lap, spellbound by the pictures. I remember how excited he became when I finally could pick out the letters and words. He then moved to a set of spelling "flash cards". I would press my paw on them to form words and sentences in order to communicate more complex ideas. The talking came later. I had pretty much finished the curriculum of a human eighth grader by the time I was two. Now, a year later, done with high school we have yet to find a suitable substitute for showing our deep affection for one another. A pat on the head just isn't the same. Walks together seem to be the closest we can come to the way things were before. I guess that happens a lot with fathers and daughters.

I know Josh is frustrated that he cannot duplicate the set of circumstances that allowed me to get so smart. It is kind of strange for me too. Part of me is afraid that if he can do it again, I won't be as special to him as I am right now. Concern was evident on his face as well, as we turned off the busy street that housed our laboratory and started up the hill into the residential neighborhoods behind us.

"I want to thank you, Joan, for being willing to talk to that lady today", he began as he reached over to unclip the leash from my collar. I stopped, allowing him to get a hold of the little metal fastener. "She may be able to get us some more funding"

"Josh, you know I will do whatever you need me to do" I replied, "It just caught me by surprise"

"Me too actually," he said with a grimace, "I really hate being put in that position, but the research is stalled and, as you know, time is running out"

"We've talked about ways that I could solve that problem, Josh" I replied. "I bet Leno or Letterman would pay a mint to get me on….. If they knew I existed that is."

"Don't you think you are somewhat overqualified for a segment on stupid pet tricks, Joan?" He laughed.

"It doesn't matter to me", I replied, "If I can help you. I'll do whatever it takes. You deserve recognition for your accomplishments with me. Everyone would know what a genius you are!"

"And they would expect me to do it again… which I can't. At least yet" he said. There seems to be something entirely unique about you, Joan."

"I'm sure you will figure it out" I replied as we turned on to another Berkeley street lined with tall old trees. It was all I could do not to bolt after a squirrel that ran across the sidewalk in front of us. Live and let live. Following my gaze, Josh looked over at me and smiled.

"That's hard for you isn't it?" he observed.

"Well, I know what you expect of me, if that's what you mean". I replied. "That makes it an obvious decision. It would be fun to see if I could catch him, but I know if I did, it would be impossible not to hurt him. I wouldn't want to hurt something without a good reason. After all, I've already had lunch" I joked.

Josh finished the rest of our walk, lost in the silence of his thoughts. I walked quietly at his side. It made him happy for me to do so. That was enough for me.

The next couple of days went by pretty fast by my standards. Jimmy was working on some "major improvements" to the electronic mouth and so I didn't get to use it. Josh seemed to be spending most of his time on the phone. Since our research funding had dried up he was engaged in a process he laughingly called "Dialing for Dollars". One of his most promising leads was a guide dog for the blind breeding and training center in nearby Berkeley. A couple of their people been over to visit and showed great interest in the way the other dogs in the place responded to new training and commands. By normal dog standards even they were very fast learners. Now that money was tight, I hoped that they wouldn't have to be sold. A few of them were my brothers and sisters, not that we are close or anything.

Josh had implored me to stay well out of the way while the guide dog people were around. This had proved to be harder than you might expect for me. Intrinsically, I am very curious and friendly. I find myself fascinated and excited by the thought of meeting new people, especially people that like dogs. They give off a particular smell and I can tell almost instantly when I run into someone who understands that we are indeed man's best friends. Of course the opposite is true as well. When a person is afraid of an animal and become hostile, they set off a chain reaction of scents and body language that has an interesting effect on the dormant recessive wolf inside me. Sometimes this feels like a strange soft tugging deep within my subconscious that makes me want to grab them by the throat. I've struggled to put it into words but I think you get the idea. It is something you probably can't fully understand unless your ancestors hunted in packs. I'm just glad it doesn't happen very often.

Since the guys were busy a lot of the time, Amanda, the third human member of our little cadre, bore the brunt of keeping up with the day to day requirements of feeding and caring for the rest of us. That chore list included six other dogs other than myself. Amanda is the patron saint of dogs, at least this one. She has a degree in veterinary medicine and doubles as our receptionist when she is not working her fingers to the bone elsewhere in the building. I am not complaining, but it is so typically male to leave all the little necessary chores to a woman. She works so hard because she really cares about the dogs at this place, especially me. Another motivating factor for her is that she is interested in Jimmy. She has never told him but figured out early that you can't hide this kind of a thing from a dog. Amanda is smart. Really, I think human men may be the densest animals on the planet. She has sworn me to silence on the subject and I haven't given away her secret, yet, but I'm tempted. I think they would make a great couple.

They had met while attending Cal Poly SLO and become friends of vehicular convenience. Since both of them were from the San Francisco Bay area, Jimmy had bummed several rides back and forth to SLO during school breaks in Amanda's little Japanese car. This was, of course, before my time. After college Amanda landed the job here working with Josh at "Dogs R Us" and when an electronics engineering guy was needed she thought of Jimmy. Josh was a Cal Berkeley genetics grad and was glad to get another egghead involved in his work. The result of their cumulative efforts was a method to electronically stimulate certain nerve center clusters in dogs that had been biologically and genetically enhanced by adding a few key sequences of human DNA. That is: the result was me. The problem was that they couldn't do it again. Several complete litters of puppies had been lost to complications from genetic breakdown. Those that survived never responded as I did to the surgery. They were smarter, just not smart enough. I guess lighting only does strike once.

Since Josh and Jimmy were otherwise occupied, Amanda took the opportunity to put me through some more tests, including a couple of MRI's. Josh and Amanda were primarily interested in some deep scans of my brain trying to figure out what structures were in place that allow me to do the voodoo that I do. The part I liked best about the MRI process was that the machine that we had arranged to use is not in our complex, but in downtown Walnut Creek. This meant that Amanda took me for several rides in the car. We got to go on the freeway!

Riding in a car is so fun it ought to be illegal. The variety of sights and smells along the way were almost overwhelming. I prefer to stand with my front paws on the armrest. I have always appreciated that human seat belt laws don't apply to dogs. I guess I might feel differently if I'd ever flown through a windshield. Since I looked like a normal dog, Amanda was able to take me by herself to the appointments. Our cover story was that I was owned by an eccentric and wealthy client that was also an elderly hypochondriac. She had been reading pet disease books and had transferred her desire to be poked and prodded by the medical profession, vicariously to me, her beloved companion. As I said before, Amanda drove a little Japanese car and even though she wasn't supposed to, she let me stick my head out of the window. I guess she found this preferable to me getting wet nose snail trails all over the inside of her glass.

Once we got to the hospital I was on my best behavior. Even though the hospital was being paid for the services, the head of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging department was actually one of Josh's friends from his Cal days. He had arranged this private use of the machine and was probably taking a risk doing so. There is always someone who feels spending money for a test like this on an animal is a waste when there are sick people around. I personally thought I was the one taking the risk. MRI machines are usually lethal to anyone with brain implants. Jimmy had assured me that because my implants were made of titanium and nano-coated there was almost no risk. I still glanced nervously at the large sign warning patients to make sure they wore no metal or had never worked around a grinder. But then, I had done this once before. Sometimes it doesn't pay to read too much.

An MRI is a very noisy thing to undergo, especially for a dogs sensitive hearing. They had made me some special ear plugs, but the first time I had one, I thought I would not make it out alive. They had also tied me down pretty tight so I wouldn't move which added to my feeling claustrophobic and helpless. For this round, they had decided to make concessions to my hatred of the straps as long as I promised to lie still. They also injected me with some sort of tracer dye to enhance the imaging. That didn't bother me much as I've been poked with needles for almost my entire life and I am used to it by now but I'm not staying I like it. I also don't like walking on a leash, but like I said, some things are expected of me.

As we were leaving the medical building Amanda's phone rang. Since we were alone on the walkway path leading to the parking garage she looked at the caller ID first and then down at me.

"It's Jimmy" she said answering the phone. "Hello Jim" she said brightly. Immediately a look of deep concern washed over her face. She stopped mid-step jerking on my collar. I cocked my head and strained to hear but the volume of her phone was too low.

"What do you mean don't come back?" she asked anxiously. "Jimmy, what's this all about?" A strange popping noise was coming out of the phone, one I could hear. Then, there was silence. Amanda snapped the phone shut and took off at a trot, looking startled and upset. I had no trouble at all keeping up. Her eyes darted about, nervously searching every door and window around us in the complex as her speed increased and we almost bolted for the car. Only once inside did she speak again.

"Joan, we're in trouble. Something has gone horribly wrong over at the lab and I… I think I heard gunshots." her voice cracked and her face contorted as she came to the realization of what she had just said.

I blinked. "Yims hokay" I said, trying to feel confident. She nodded quickly but her body language said otherwise as she paid and drove rapidly from the parking structure. This time I didn't stick my head out the window.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Third Chapter of the Story of Joan, the talking dog. This is the longest so far, and reviews have been quite low. I know people are reading it, but would love some feedback. It is extremely difficult to write from the perspective of a dog, as you can imagine, even one like Joan, who is sort of part human due to the genetic engineering. Read and Review - thanks in advance. **

"We definitely can't go back to the lab" Amanda was saying, "But I don't know if my apartment is going to be safe either. I had let my attention wander back out the window and onto a German Shepherd mix walking with a man on the sidewalk. We were stopped at a light. The dog was old. He favored his right hip and his walk was almost a limp. I wondered how long it would be before I started having physical problems with my back legs. It is often the case with larger dogs to suffer from this type of affliction. His eyes met mine as if to say "Your time will come". I growled an almost inaudible denial deep in my throat and turned my head back towards Amanda as she continued.

"My personnel records are in the filing cabinet in the office. If what is happening back there involves you, Joan, we've got to find someplace safe to hide you until I can figure this thing out!" She took the ramp that led onto the highway and turned on the radio. Music poured briefly from the speakers before she selected A.M. and pushed the button for one of the local news channels. It was only a minute or two before what we had been waiting for came on.

"Police in Berkeley were called to the building housing an animal research facility this afternoon at about 3:30 p.m." the news announcer said." Amanda turned up the volume. "They are investigating the strong arm robbery of a research laboratory. Several animals were taken and injuries to some of the personnel have been reported. Police have the area cordoned off but an eye witness reports seeing masked men loading several cages into the back of a white panel van" I looked at Amanda who was biting her lip. Tears flooded her eyes.

"Joan, I'm going to drop you off at my parent's house and then head back over there to see what is going on." Amanda said suddenly. I didn't think that was a good idea and told her so.

"I can help you! I can tell more by smelling," I huffed.

"It's too dangerous, Joan. I have a feeling they were after you…. That Bitch!" spat Amanda. I blinked in surprise causing Amanda to smile slightly. She explained. " I'm talking about that woman from Sacramento. She must have a big fat mouth," She continued with her tone somewhat apologetic.

"Sometimes we women call another female we don't like that word, Joan" she said. "I never thought about how you might interpret the insult".

I growled thinking about the likelihood of what she was saying and added "Yur prolly right. She'sa bitch! " "She is going to pay if she is responsible for hurting my loved ones," I thought, but I kept that last part to myself.

Amanda set her face into a determined scowl but shadows hid the thoughts behind her eyes as we entered the cavernous entrance of one of the bores of the Caldecott tunnel. Once on the other side we took highway 24 to 13 south. I make it a habit to read road signs. I guess I have a natural tendency to want to know where I am going and how to find my way back. I've heard that dogs have made huge journeys to return home just by instinct and sense of smell. In my opinion reading road signs is a definite plus. Amanda weaved the little car gracefully through traffic heading down the hill. We eventually hooked up with highway 580 and headed east. We kept listening to the radio but the only additional information we could get was that at least one person had been rushed to Highland hospital in Oakland. This information did nothing to slow Amanda's rate of speed.

I am fascinated at the process of driving. It is amazing to me how naturally a human driver can adapt to controlling a vehicle, taking it on as almost a second skin. Your eyes, hands and feet make instantaneous decisions while hurtling along at breathtaking speeds. It seems even crazier to me when I realize that driver's have absolutely no idea what the other people driving cars nearby are going to do. Amanda said they use signal lights and stuff, but I've not noticed them being particularly careful about it. I don't know how they keep from crashing into each other! However they do it, somehow I don't think I'm ever going to get the chance to try it for myself. I am just not anatomically suited for duty behind the wheel. Perhaps someday Jimmy can rig up something for me. Jimmy! I hope he is all right. If those noises Amanda heard were really gunshots….and what about Josh?

It was hard for me to stay focused on what had happened when all my senses were on such overload. I had, of course, been out of the facility before, but the prospect of not going back to my kennel tonight had filled me with excitement and curiosity. Amanda's family live near the city of Oakland in a smaller town called San Leandro. We took 13 South to the 580 freeway, took an exit and then drove on surface streets to their house. It was in a nice neighborhood. I told her so. Amanda looked at me and shrugged.

"Mom and dad bought the house before I was born, so I guess I take it for granted" she admitted. "You should be safe here until I get back", she bit her lip pensively, "As long as you don't blow it and start talking to them…" she said with a small smile. "You will be a good girl for me now... won't you?"

I nodded – letting her know I got it as she ran up to the door and knocked. A few seconds later the door opened. The woman that answered looked a lot like Amanda, but with a few more lines around the eyes and a touch of grey at the temples. She looked back and forth between Amanda and me with surprise and concern.

"Mandy! What is going on? I heard something on the radio. Are you all right?"

"Fine mom, but something sudden has come up. Can you and dad do me a favor and watch this dog for a couple of hours?" she blurted out.

"Sure honey" she looked serious. "But your dad's still over at the church…they had a meeting...but he'll be back by dinner time. Maybe you should wait here with me and then take him with you. The radio said an office in Berkeley had been robbed. Was that yours?"

"Yeah mom, I wasn't there. I'm not going back there either, just to the hospital. Just watch the dog for me ok?" she rushed the words out while spinning around and running back to the car.

Mom looked frustrated and concerned but looked down at me and forced a smile.

"Her name's Joan" Amanda called back through the open window as she threw the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. The tires squealed as she took off really fast. I really hate the smell of burning rubber.

The woman Amanda called Mom took me inside the house. She maintained a firm grip on my leash, but I gave her no reason to. My toenails clicked on the tile entryway as I obediently followed her like a furry yellow shadow. She returned to the place in the living room where she obviously had been sitting before Amanda's arrival and seated herself on the couch. Glancing at the television and seeing a commercial for a local car company running, she turned her attention more completely to me. I tried the wagging trick but failed and settled for putting my chin on her knee and looking up at her with my sweet eyes. It's usually reserved for food, but in this case I wanted to make a good impression.

"What has my daughter gotten herself into?" the woman asked, I am sure quite rhetorically. I whined a little and lay down by her feet. She gave me enough leash to make myself comfortable. The news came back on, but it wasn't about the lab so she turned back to me again.

"How about some water?" she asked. I instinctively stood as she rose and followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a stainless steel mixing bowl from a lower cupboard and turned on the water. I was thankful that she let it run a few seconds before filling it and placing it in front of me. It's usually cooler that way. I lapped about half a bowl before she started to laugh.

"You were thirsty!" What was I supposed to say? One of the most frustrating things about being able to talk is remembering not to. I have always found it interesting how much people talk to animals even when they know, or at least think, we can't talk back. I suppose for the others it's not such a problem as they don't usually understand much of what is being said in the first place. For me it would be the most natural thing in the world to say thanks for the water. Of course mom would probably have a heart attack. She unclipped the leash from my collar and said

"I'm sure you're housebroken... let's take you out back". The backyard was small but had a beautiful lawn. I went over into a corner with some brickwork before squatting to piddle. I didn't want to damage the grass. I looked back for the woman but she had gone back inside, leaving the sliding glass door open. I could not resist giving the back yard the nose once over. A cat had been by recently. Two doors down a male Doberman's scent wafted over gently on the breeze. Half a block away a lawn mower was running and I could smell fresh cut grass and gasoline. I returned to the woman and flumped down on the floor by the sofa. She put out her hand and patted me on the head.

"Good girl"

_Yes I am_. I thought, but Josh made me this way.

The phone rang. Mom rose, crossed the room and picked it up. I followed and looked up at her quizzically.

"Hello… oh hi Phyllis… yes I saw the news. Amanda is fine. She was just here, but left. Yes, it's awful. I want to keep the phone line clear. I'll call you if I hear anything more.. Thanks for calling…. Goodbye," Pretty much a waste of a call in my opinion. No news. I flumped back down and mom gave me an odd look. In the meantime, the television news people had also done little more to relieve my worried condition. On a plus note, a fly had flown in through the open sliding glass door so I waited for it to venture too close and snapped it up and ate it. Flies are surprisingly tangy. We waited about a half hour before the phone rang again. It was Amanda. I cocked my head and strained my ears to try and hear what she was saying but mom was surprisingly quiet this time. She looked down at me with a strange look on her face as she hung up the phone. Kneeling down she pressed her face into my shoulder and said oddly

"Amanda told me to tell you that Josh is dead". I stood stock still for a few moments then pulled away as gently as possible and walked softly through the living room and into the backyard. Into the now quiet dusk of evening I raised my head and began to quietly moan. The sound washed over the fence and into the neighborhood becoming a full-fledged wail. My grief poured out for all the world to hear. "Faather…Faather…"

The Doberman down the street joined in when the grief song changed into a howl for revenge against those who had slain my master, father and my friend. Amanda's mom stood in the door watching me with eyes full of pity, tears and even more, questions.

When Amanda's dad got home about an hour later, he folded a couple of blankets into a bed for me in the garage. His curious glances back and forth between me and his wife left me no doubt that Amanda would have some questions to answer. I laid there next to the washing machine without moving until I heard a knock at the door and Amanda's voice speaking to her parents in low muffled tones. I waited for her at the door leading up into the house. She came through quietly, knelt down and put her hands on both sides of my face. She spoke softly and carefully, her warm liquid tears falling on my nose.

"They found Josh in the kennels. He tried to stop them from taking the dogs" she said. "They shot him four times. He died at the hospital. "

"whoo?" I growled low.

"The police don't know, Joan. They were waiting for me at the hospital. They asked me a lot of questions about our business contacts and wanted all our records. They took me down there… to the lab. The place was pretty torn up. I didn't tell them about you. They think you were taken with the rest. Jimmy is nowhere to be found. I guess that is good news. He hasn't tried to call me again though. If they have taken him he is probably not going to give us up easily." I growled again.

"I did manage to get this", she smiled weakly as she pulled a white collar with a small box attached near the throat.

"This is the new collar Jimmy's been working on for you." She pulled my traditional leather collar off by slipping over my head without loosening the catch. "It's also got a motion sensor to turn off the power and save the battery if you aren't going to use it for long periods" she said, pushing a small pill shaped power switch on the side.

"To turn it back on, give your head a good shake. Unfortunately, for it to really pick up your vocal chords properly we need to pull it pretty tight." I swallowed for room as she cinched the collar against my throat.

"Thanks Amanda", said Jimmy's old girlfriend's voice. Amanda looked at me with a sad smile. "What do we do now?" I continued

"It's late, we need to get some rest, I've told my parents that you are not a normal dog, but my mom pretty much figured that out already. They don't know about you talking yet. My dad is going to watch over us tonight, just in case the people responsible for this figure out that they don't have the right dog and decide that I'm likely to run home. The police don't know you are here, like I said." She hesitated for a second. "Do you want me to call them and tell them about you?"

"Will they take me away from you?" I paused, "And from Jimmy?" I asked. "You are the only family I've got. "I don't want to lose you too!" I blurted out. "I've already put you in danger!"

"You leave that to me!" said a gruff male voice from the direction of the kitchen door. I jumped. It is very unusual for me not to hear someone coming. Amanda's father came down the steps into the garage and looked down at the two of us huddled on the floor.

"You two will be safe here tonight and tomorrow we are going to find that kid you both seem to think so highly of" he grimaced.

"Thank you sir" I said rising and meeting his gaze. He looked back at me and slowly started shaking his head.

"Name's Pete" he said gruffly, as he bent over to scratch me between the ears. I stood still and tried not to enjoy this too much. I waited for him to straighten before saying what was on my mind.

"I want to thank you for taking me into your home" I said softly. "I can't imagine how afraid you must be for your daughter and your wife right now. The people who came after me… The people who killed Josh…" I continued.

"It's not your fault Joan!" Amanda interrupted

"No, but it's not fair, or safe, to put you and your family in this situation. If it wasn't that I want more than anything to find Jimmy and make sure he's safe, I'd already be gone, so that they don't come after me here and hurt Amanda or your wife. But to find him, I think I'm going to need some help. I promise that I will do everything I can not to let anything happen to your family. Even if it means, I'm taken". I finished. The words hung there in the air for several seconds as the man processed the level of meaning I had managed to convey. It's one thing to come to terms with the idea that a dog can talk, another to realize, that she is on a par with you for content.

"No wonder they tore the place up" he said slowly. "Are you really the only one?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so, sir" I replied. "A freak of both science and nature. And now that Josh is dead, I'll probably be the only one for quite some time."

"It's going to take a lot to get used to just one of you" he chuckled softly before turning back up the stairs and going into the house. I could hear him whistling softly under his breath. Amanda soon followed after him, telling me to try and get some rest. As quiet as they tried to be, however, I could hear them talking long into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Please read and review if you wish me to continue with the story. Not feeling the love here people. Lots of hits but only one reviewer to give encouragement. If you are reading this story, I need to hear from you, if just to say continue. **

The strange noises and smells along with the sick feeling in my gut didn't allow for much sleep. Every time a car would go down the street, I would listen intently for any sound that it had stopped. I didn't know how likely it was that those that had ransacked the lab would still be looking for us yet. It might take them a while to figure out my doggie pals weren't quite what they were after. They might figure I was playing dumb and try and wait me out. It all depended on how much real and specific information on me they had. A lot depended on what they wanted me for. I couldn't imagine someone going to this much trouble to take dogs even as smart as the others. This had to be tied to something that woman Donna from Sacramento had said or written down. She obviously had piqued someone's interest. I went into the house and waited at the back door to be let out. Amanda's mom saw me first. She walked over to open the door but stopped and looked into my eyes.

"My daughter believes you are worth going to a lot of trouble for. She says you are a creature in which there is no guile" she said slowly. I shook my head and waited before answering

"I won't let anything happen to your daughter ma'am. I would die to protect her." There was no trace of untruth in my voice and I realized as I said it, that I had meant it. She smiled.

"I believe you would, but I certainly hope you won't have to, Joan. My daughter feels the same way about you" she said softly while sliding open the door. I bowed my head in thanks then headed for the bricks in the corner. Before business as usual, I sniffed the morning air and listened to the sounds of the waking neighborhood. Other than the sick spot in my heart, all seemed well with the world. I took care of things quickly and headed back in.

The smell of frying bacon was well underway, and the house already seemed a better place. Pete stood at the gas cook top, a pair of tongs and a spatula held high over a sizzling frying pan.

"Hope you don't mind scrambled eggs, Joan" he said with a grin. " I broke the yokes" I smiled back but answered truthfully.

"Your daughter would probably prefer you feed me something lower in fat and cholesterol sir" This reply brought a huge explosive laugh from the man's chest. He practically doubled over.

"Now I've heard it all! A dog turning down bacon and eggs!"

" I'm not turning it down," I stammered, "it's just…"

"Amanda's still asleep, my wife only wants coffee and we don't have dog food in the house" he interrupted with a smile. "But if you want to wait?" I looked around quickly, my mouth watering in spite of myself.

"No whatever you have is fine, thanks" I managed to get out

"I thought so." He replied, sliding half a pan of yellow fluffyness and two strips of bacon onto a plate and setting it in front of me. I stood there in disbelief while he sat down at the table with the other half and said "Dig in!" I didn't have to be asked a second time. I finished before he had taken four bites, but this is probably because he was still chuckling. It didn't take long for the smell of breakfast to rouse Amanda. She showed up in the kitchen scolded her father for feeding me eggs, then of course asked him to make her some more breakfast for her. He did while rambling on with his daughter about how dogs have been eating and sharing the food of man for thousands of years. Even before the invention of pet food companies. I sat there looking stupidly at the two of them enjoying each other and for just a few minutes, It seemed that I could almost forget the seriousness of our situation.

Amanda's mother had been watching the news in the living room for more information but joined us for a second cup of coffee while Amanda ate. She told us that the police had found the van used for the attack on the lab and to steal the dogs down near the Port of Oakland. It was, of course empty. I wondered what I could find out about it by giving it a good sniff. Amanda checked for messages on her phone while her father cleaned up. No calls. . Amanda started to try Jimmy's number but her father stopped her.

"Let's do that from a payphone", he said.

"Dad! I don't even know where to find one these days" she said.

"We'll find one" was his reply. I had to agree with him. If these guys were serious, they would be waiting for a call from us and might know how to use the GPS in Amanda's phone to find us. Amanda decided to try and find a pay phone while we searched for dog food. I sort of expected that. It was too good to last.

Amanda's dad said there was a pet store a couple of miles away but insisted that he go with us. He found Amanda a floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses and told her to wear them. She didn't give him a hard time about it. I guess the reality of Josh's death was settling in. Before we left, We waited in the doorway out of sight while Pete walked out to the curb, stooped to pick up the morning news and had a good look up and down the street. Soon he began motioning for us to come out. Amanda's mom looked nervously through the crack in the door as we made our way to the car. I could hear the deadbolt click.

"Makes me glad I still take the paper" he said somberly. Amanda grabbed it from him as she opened the door to her car and pushed the seat forward. I jumped in the back and laid low.

"You drive dad.. you know where we're going" she said getting in on the right. "I want to look at the paper and see if they have any more information about yesterday." Pete got in on the driver's side, adjusted the seat and soon we pulled away from the curb and out into the street.

The pet food store was a couple of miles away and it didn't take long to get there. It was early and they were just opening up. I thought I might have to wait in the car, but Amanda's dad said that they let people bring dogs inside. I didn't have to be asked twice. I fell in behind father and daughter as they locked the car and headed inside. The woman at the register looked up from what she was doing and smiled at us as we came through the door. She seemed to be trying to decide if I was going to be well mannered. I guess the way I stated close to Amanda and Paul satisfied her and she looked back down. The incredible variety of smells was a fascinating puzzle for me. Near the door, a row of gurgling fish tanks, a display of rawhide chew toys, collars, leather leashes, the paper of books, all of this quickly overshadowed by a box of open dog cookies and farther back…puppies! Their smell was unmistakable. I stopped at an isle that made its way to the back and could see rows of cages behind a glass barrier. I could just make out the sound of their yips and cries from where I stood. I wanted very much to see more, but obediently followed my humans to the big breed food shelf.

"Puppies!" I tried to whisper. Amanda was looking at the food. She pointed to a large sack and Paul heaved it up and slung it over his shoulder. Amanda knelt down and keeping her voice low, replied,  
"Yes Joan, they are sold here, but this is usually not the best way to find a healthy pet." I am not totally naive. I realize that my kind is bought and sold. The most marketable age to do this is when we are very young. For some reason, I have concerns about this. It kind of seems like getting married too young.

"Can I see them?" I asked eagerly. She hesitated, then nodded "Of course" Amanda's dad carried the sack of dog food toward the counter as Amanda and I continued toward the back of the store. I could hear the bag hit the floor with a thump. I could hear him speaking kindly to the clerk. My attention shifted away as Amanda and I stopped at the large glass window. Behind it were three rows of cages. Most of them were empty but several had occupants. Some of the puppies were sleeping, their furry bodies pressed against the wire of the cages. One fellow was putting on quite a show. He capered and thrashed a rubber mouse toy with great enthusiasm. It made me sad to think that he had so recently been taken from his family and his mother. He didn't seem to mind. I know that my intelligence gives me a much greater and more complex understanding of situations than other four legged philosophers. I am sure he remembers his family, but I don't know for how long.

We caught up with Pete at the car. He had just dropped the sack of food in the trunk and closed the lid. In his hand was another bag.

"Got this" he said, opening the bag for me. I stuck my whole head in and took a good look and a sniff. It was a chest harness, similar to the kind guide dogs for the blind wear, with a looped leather handle sticking straight up at the back. I looked at him quizzically.

"You can wear this if we need to go inside a different kind of store or someplace where dogs are not usually allowed" he explained. "Amanda can pretend to be blind. She's already got the glasses"

Amanda stood looking at him with hand on hip and a look of real surprise on her face.

"It's actually a good idea, and you know it" he said. I had to admit he was right and nodded my approval. Pete knelt down to fasten the straps around my torso.

"I didn't know they sold those kinds of harnesses at a regular pet store" she said at last. "It does solve the problem of no place to attach a leash on the speaking collar" Amanda finally agreed. "But why can't you be the blind one?" she asked with a grin.

"I intend to keep my eyes wide open to look for trouble" he admitted pointing a distance away in the shopping center parking lot. "Phone's over there."

Paul stood with his feet shoulder width apart, looking nervously around while Amanda tried the number on the pay phone. Jimmy picked up, first ring.

"Jimmy! Where are you?" she asked breathlessly. "What a relief…." She paused while he spoke, but I couldn't hear what he said. "No," she said, looking down at me and then over at her father. She looked worried. "What time? Ok Jimmy, see you there" she stopped, and quickly hung up the phone.

"What did he say?" Pete asked as Amanda slumped, bending over with her hands on her knees. She looked like she had the wind knocked out of her.

"He told me to meet me at my apartment and to 'bring the dog'. I don't Jimmy would have put it that way, dad! He would have called her 'Joan'. This is bad! He wants to meet there at ten o'clock"

"That's about forty five minutes" Pete said matter-of-factly "But Honey, we are going to need to call the police on this, right away".

The phone call to the police did not go well. Pete was angry. Amanda was crying.

"They said they'd send a car?" she said incredulously. "Dad, Josh was murdered!" I looked at the pavement, also miserable.

"They also said not to let you go to the meeting" Pete continued. "And I agree with them." Amanda turned red.

"I don't think they thought I would try to go" he said, "But I am."

"What am I supposed to do then? Sit at home with mom?" She asked angrily

"You need to take care of Joan, keep her safe" he replied

"Oh… I'm going too" I said quickly. "The police didn't mention me!"

"That's 'cause they don't know about you Joan!" said Amanda "It would be totally playing into these people's hand if you get anywhere near that apartment"

"Look Amanda," I implored trying to make eye contact, but she was looking away with red and puffy eyes, ". I've already lost Josh. You and Jimmy are the only family I've got left. Jimmy is my friend. I care about him too much to sit around and let something happen to him!" This last bit caused her head to swivel around and our eyes met at last. She knelt down and hugged me around the neck, burying her face in my fur. I felt an additional hand on my head and Pete's voice wavered with emotion as he said,

"Not the only family, Joan."

I looked up at him and met his gaze "Thank you sir" I managed.

"You've got to let me go, Dad!" Amanda implored pulling her face off my neck. I could not see her expression, but saw his resolve melt as he realized he didn't have time to fight with her about it.

"Let's get going" was his only reply as he opened the car door and folded forward the seat so I could jump into the back.

Amanda's apartment was in Berkeley, near the lab. We didn't have much time but we stopped by her parent's house on the way. Pete went in alone and was back in about two minutes. He told us that he wanted to let Amanda's mom know that we had talked to Jimmy. I suppose it was only obvious that he failed to fill her in on the more difficult details. A not too mysterious bulge could be seen in the middle of his back under his tee shirt which he just happened to start wearing un-tucked. Amanda didn't seem to notice but I did. I had not expected him to bring a gun. With his daughter along on such a venture, I could understand his wanting to have something to fall back on if things went really sour.

Continuing on to the small apartment near the Lab, Amanda told her father to park a couple of blocks away.

"It's two streets up on the left , the units on the corner " She said

"I know, honey" Pete replied, "Its blue. I helped you move in. Remember?"

"I was telling Joan, she's never been here" she replied smiling.

I suddenly had an idea.

"Let me out!" I said "I want you two to stay put while I do some reconnaissance. " Pete and Amanda exchanged doubtful looks. "I can figure out how many we are up against and get back here before they even see me" I assured them. "Remember, my ancestors were wolves!"

Amanda looked at her father then leaned forward in the seat and cracked open the door. I squeezed past. "Six twenty one, apartment D. It's in the back!" she hissed out the window. I nodded and didn't look back until I was three houses up the street. I went yard to yard using the landscaping and fences as cover. Popping my head around a hedge, I could see father and daughter talking and gesturing through the windshield. They were probably already regretting letting me go alone.

It was a fine morning and there were people on the street and in their yards. There were less people outside and the cover looked better on the other side of the street, so I crossed as soon as I could, using a passing grocery delivery truck as a partial screen. I think the driver caught a glimpse of me in the rear view mirror as I shot across behind him like a yellow bullet. Other than the truck, there was no traffic on this quiet Berkeley back street. I stuck to cover and moved fast. My nose was my early warning system. It was a huge advantage to be traveling into the soft morning breeze. I pulled up at the yard across the street from the apartment crouching low behind some junipers and took a look.

The apartment was more like a four-plex. The small yard in the front had a wooden pick nic table and benches. The table had a hole in the center that supported a large shade umbrella. At the table was Jimmy. He was not alone. A dark skinned man of either South American or Arab decent impeccably dressed sat next to him. I could smell his cologne. It partially blocked Jimmy's fear. He was terrified. They were both sitting on the same side of the table. Unfortunately they were looking up the street in my direction. They obviously had not seen my approach. I gave a silent thanks to my wolf genes.

Looking closer, I could see that the man had his hand under his coat and the coat was pushed aside hard into Jimmy's ribs. I couldn't smell it but the hand most likely held a gun. I spotted the second guy about ten seconds later. He was two houses down, on the other side of the street. He had one foot up on one of those placard bus benches advertising a local car dealership. Also dressed in a suit, his eyes scanned both directions up and down the block. He looked bored and hot. He probably wished he had pulled the umbrella duty. I figured the guy with Jimmy to be in charge.

I was about to extricate myself from the juniper bush and head back to Amanda and Pete when the police car turned the corner. It stopped across the street from the table. There were two uniformed cops inside. Jimmy stiffened and looked even more nervously at the man at his side as the hand inside the jacket pulled away and transferred to the other side facing the officers. The guy on the bench straightened up too, fiddling with his coat button. Pete's call to the police had been taken more seriously than we had thought. With the gun out of his ribs and two cops just yards away, Jimmy looked like he was thinking about making a run for it. His eyes darted back and forth between his captor and the street. Perhaps if I could create a distraction... From somewhere behind me I could hear someone coming. He was whistling a quick and nervous tune. I glanced back. It was Pete! He was swinging his arms in an exaggerated way as he approached the corner where I lay hidden. As he got a glance at the situation unfolding in front of him the whistling stopped. I think he saw me. He looked away fast. The doors of the police car opened.

I have read stories where humans have reported that time seems to slow down in situations of great stress and rapid activity. For me it was the other way around. It happened way too fast. The man at the bus stop had three rounds fired before I was over the hedge. The first two hit the cop on the passenger side in the chest and in the neck. He went down in a fountain of spurting crimson. The blood forcing its way through his fingers as he desperately slapped at the wound. The third shot hit the door of the police car. Behind it was crouched the driver who had just managed to get down behind it. He of course was clearing his weapon to return fire at the man who had probably just killed his partner. He aimed to fire at the man by the bench who quickly ducked out of sight. Unfortunately the officer was open to the side and the guy holding Jimmy brought up his weapon. His first shot turned the driver's window to crystal shards hanging crazily like the web of a drunk spider. The cop jumped inside, slamming the door. Glass fragments followed him.

I bounded across the asphalt of the street. The guy still hanging on to Jimmy repositioned to fire again. Clearing the small fence, I hit him like a yellow battering ram knocking him backwards. My teeth found bone deep inside his arm. I bit down until I felt it break. It snapped twice but somehow even with me on top of him, he managed to hold onto the gun. On his back, screaming and cursing in Arabic, he tried to roll me off. To his credit, Jimmy didn't run but stepped down hard on his gun hand, pinning it to the ground and probably breaking a finger or two. More screams.

Writhing and twisting he battered Jimmy's leg with his free arm. Jimmy twisted his foot and crunched down harder, ignoring the pain. From the street I could hear the cop in the car urgently calling for backup on the radio.

The guy at the bus bench had ducked behind a brick pillar but must have realized he wasn't going to need much more help with the remaining cop and began running toward us. A look of rage and hate burned in his eyes as he saw Jimmy standing over his partner. Without conscious thought I found myself letting go of the gun arm and moving to intercept him. Somehow I could sense that this one had taken part in killing Josh. The blood lust was upon me. He brought up his gun to fire.

Most dogs would probably run straight into a weapon like a handgun, especially if they had no real concept of where the killing end of such a thing was. I knew better. I weaved and dodged crazily as we closed the gap between us. This threw him, I think, as I felt several of his shots miss, but not by much. I threw myself forward and upward at the end of my charge trying to curve in from the side, aiming for the throat, but never made contact. A shocked look crossed his face and I could feel and smell the breath knocked out of him as his direction changed so abruptly that I missed hitting him completely snapping at air. , Out of his back came a plume of red as the bullet entered the center of his chest, spinning him violently backwards. He tumbled into the street landing with his arms and legs in an impossible position for the conscious. Blood pooled. Finishing my arc, I skidded to an awkward stop and looked back. The shot hadn't come from the cop.

It was Pete. He stood in the center of the intersection. His hand was still holding the revolver he had brought along. I met his eyes for half a second before both of us dashed back toward Jimmy who was still struggling to hold the man on the ground. My hackles stood high on my back as the deepest snarl I have ever made roared from my throat. I wanted to kill him too! I was on him in seconds.

"You Bastard! You killed Josh! I'm going to tear your throat out!" I screamed standing over him. His face went red, then pale as he realized I was not just barking but using words. He struggled even harder in panic. It took everything I had to hold back. I wanted him dead!

"No Joan!" Jimmy said quickly, sensing my thoughts. Only Amanda, running up from behind us probably saved him. I didn't want her to see me tearing out this man's throat. She probably would have trouble forgetting that image. The man continued to look up at me, a look of horror on his face. At last, together, Pete and Jimmy were able to wrestle the gun away from him. Pete kicked it away. It clattered against the leg of the patio table. Pete stood by menacingly as Jimmy continued to hold the man down. But at least for now, all the fight seemed to be out of him. All of this had taken less than 30 seconds. I could hear sirens screaming in the distance, coming closer very quickly.

"Somebody check on the wounded officers" Pete said. Amanda and I looked at each other and began running toward the car. People from houses up and down the street were timidly peeking out of windows and peering out of doors just cracked open. The cop in the car was bleeding badly but very alive. Covered in glass and multiple deep cuts, he had been saved largely by his bullet proof vest. He raised his forehead, smeared with blood, above the windowsill and grunted as Amanda and I approached the car. Seeing a woman he pulled the handle, kicked open the door and slid out. Glass crunched noisily, falling from his hair and uniform like crystal ice droplets as he rolled to his feet. He still held his gun as he scanned the crumpled mass of the dead man in the middle of the street then turned to look at the fallen body of his partner on the other side of the car. His face looked ashen.

"They need you over there, officer" Amanda said meekly as she gestured behind us at her father and Jimmy. He nodded curtly.

"What the Hell are you people doing here?" he shouted, running toward them but keeping his gun leveled at Jimmy's prisoner.

Quickly circling behind the cruiser I could see that his partner if not dead, would be soon. An enormous pool of blood ran from the sidewalk into the gutter of the street. The gushing flow from the wound in the man's neck was now only a ragged spatter. He wasn't conscious. Amanda quickly sat down on the curb and applied pressure over the hole in his neck anyway. I laid by her side and put my chin on her knee. Tears flooded her face as she looked into the officer's glazing eyes. They looked so surprised.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Investigations - **

**A/N I am interested if anyone has any suggestions for a more suitable location for this story than the UP venue. It seems rather out of place here. Let me know if you have any ideas for a better venue**

A minute later or so later most of the Berkeley police force showed up. An ambulance crew pulled Amanda's hand from the officer's neck about five minutes later. They got real busy and roared out of there with more sirens shortly after that. There was yellow crime scene tape everywhere and we had to answer a lot of questions. I mean, they did. Nobody seemed inclined to ask me anything. I was grateful for that and intended to keep it that way. The Arab in the suit that was still alive was quickly taken from Jimmy and shoved unceremoniously in the back of one of the patrol cars. I noticed the officer that put him in handcuffs wasn't particularly careful with his broken wrist. He even smiled quite nastily as the Arab moaned in pain as he cinched the metal clasp extra tight. Other than the moan, however, the guy wasn't saying anything.

Jimmy of course told the cops how these two and three more had hit the lab yesterday, taking him hostage. They had taken all the dogs and killed Josh when he tried to stop them. They had blindfolded him on his way here, so he didn't know where they had held him last night.

The cops weren't too happy at first with Pete and his .357 being there. They took the gun but said he might get it back after the investigation and ballistics tests. Then they took all of us downtown. They were going to call animal control for me, but the others became adamant and insisted that I ride with them. I had considered making a run for it but really didn't know where I'd go, except for back to Amanda's mom. I rode in the car with Pete to the station. For some reason Jimmy and Amanda wanted to ride together.

In the back seat of the police car, Pete bent low and whispered to me

"I was very proud of you back there, Joan. You probably saved that cop's life"

"You saved mine" I said softly, looking into his moist eyes.

"I had a old debt to pay" he said with a far off look in his eyes. The cop up front cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder

"Did you say something buddy? He asked.

"It can wait. " Pete replied. He placed his hand on my head and patted me softly and slow.

We arrived at the police station and they put all of us in different rooms for questioning. I found Amanda and stayed as close to her as possible. The cops seemed satisfied to allow me to stay with her but they did tie my collar to the table leg with a rope they found somewhere. Amanda had been here before and the cop that talked to her was the same that already had the rest of her story from the other day. He looked at her with a great deal of skepticism after she finished telling her most recent rendition of the morning's events.

"Look lady, We've got a dead officer, today" He said, his voice rising in volume. "I get it that these guys contacted you by phone and told you to bring the last dog over"

Amanda nodded, holding up her hand still partially covered with brownish dried blood. "That's right, and remember, I've got a dead boss, as of yesterday." She continued more softly " I tried to help the officer that was shot in the neck"

"So I've been told." He continued, "I understand as well, that my other officer would probably also be dead if you and your father hadn't disobeyed our instructions and shown up"

"Probably," She shrugged, "I don't know about that. I missed most of the fighting,"

"You're probably going to be heroes down at PETA, but I want to know something" his voice went dangerous and low "Why didn't you tell us about the dog that didn't get taken?" he asked. His eyebrows rose to an improbable height on his face as he waited for his answer.

She avoided his question. "I think the dog is a hero." she said looking down at me with a sad look on her face. "My father is too!"

"Your father killed a man!" he replied hotly. "And he brought a gun along to do it with."

"He was just trying to protect Joan!" Amanda spat back, tears beginning to flow. "Those men had already shot down one of your cops and were trying to get to the other. Joan was defending all of us!"

I growled low and looked up at the interrogator with steady challenging gaze. I didn't like the way this was going. He glanced down at me but continued

"Why didn't you tell us about the dog?" He asked again.

"She's special" Amanda responded. "Have you ever had a dog sir?"

"I did seven years in K9 before I made detective" he replied looking down at me again. He almost smiled, but didn't. I put my head down on my outstretched paws and waited for him to elaborate, but he did not.

"You know how special a bond between you and a dog like this can be" Amanda said awkwardly into the silence. "Josh, Jimmy and I have raised all of the dogs from birth. When those guys came to steal them, I'm not surprised Josh put his life on the line to try and stop them."

"A dog's not worth the life of a man" the cop replied

"You might be surprised" Amanda said with yet another sad smile. "what can you tell me about the guy that was holding Jimmy? There are evidently three more of them out there and I want to know what you are going to do to protect us."

"It seems likely that there is more going on here than a robbery", the detective said with a grimace. "Again, if you have anything to add as to why these dogs are so important, now would be the time"

"They are smarter than normal, I told you that already." Amanda said.

"How smart, I wonder?" asked the cop, bending down to take a closer look at me. I looked away. "What is that plastic device on her collar?"

Amanda swallowed. "Tracking device," Amanda said quickly. "After the other dogs were taken, I slapped it on her, just in case." She lied. I was impressed.

"Where is the receiver?" he asked

"I left it in the car, when things got crazy" she lied again.

"We're towing the car in" He responded. "When it gets here, I want you to show it to me. Do any of the other dogs have one on?"

"Of course not! We didn't know they were going to be stolen!" she finished hastily. I could tell she didn't like the trap he was letting her dig herself into. I didn't either.

"Just how smart, how valuable are these dogs?" he asked again "Why are they worth killing for? And how did these Arabs get involved?"

"I thought that language sounded like something from the mid-east!" Amanda said with some satisfaction.

"Jordan" actually" he replied. "These two work as some sort of support staff. Their consulate over in San Francisco has already filed a protest. They have asked for the injured one to be released to them. So far we've been able to hold them off, but the pressure will probably start coming in from the State Department."

"You won't let him go?" Amanda almost whimpered

"The fact that they killed one of my officers has definitely created some resistance to that, so far" he said with a frown, "But I probably won't be able to get him tried for murder in a U.S. court. Right now we're just trying to get some answers out of him, but he's clammed up tight and not talking. As long as it's up to this department, he's not leaving here soon!"

"Do you think you can find the other dogs?" Amanda finally asked.

"Your pal Jimmy's working on that right now. We got the van that these goons used to bring Jimmy to your place. We're searching it for evidence that might lead us to where they have the dogs." I jumped to my feet and looked back and forth between Amanda and the detective and tried to be telepathic. They both looked at me curiously but for different reasons.

This may seem strange, but do you think my dog could have a sniff at that van?" Amanda said with a funny smile.

"I think that I'd like to see that" said the detective, "Very much"

I walked just behind Amanda and the detective on the way to the impound yard at the back of the police station. My nerves were on edge and it was hard to hold their pace. I forced myself. It wouldn't due for me to be running ahead and besides, I wasn't really sure of the way. As it was, there were several uniformed cops and technicians along the way that gave me funny looks. We entered the compound. Jimmy was already there talking to a CSI who looked like he was just about to dust for fingerprints. They turned and looked at the us when we walked up behind them. Jimmy gave Amanda and me a big smile but kept on talking.

"I'm pretty sure that I was there, in the back, under a tarp" Jimmy said gesturing. "Remember, I was blindfolded, but I definitely went in through the back and wasn't sitting on a seat"

I looked around for Pete, but didn't see him. Concerned, I tugged at Amanda's sleeve. This pretending to not be able to talk was so frustrating. I just wasn't use to having to play doggie charades. Looking down at me she seemed to get it.

"Where's my father?" she asked anxiously.

"I'm sure he's fine" said the cop, "But we're having a doctor take a look at him. He was having some chest pains"

"He's what?" yelled Amanda stopping Jimmy mid sentence as both he and the crime scene technician whirled to look at her. I growled low and looked at the man as he took a couple of steps backwards. I don't know if it was me, or Amanda that scared him more.

"Where is he?" Amanda demanded as Jimmy stepped to her side.

"In the Infirmary" the cop shrugged. "I'll take you, but I thought you wanted your dog to check out the van"

Amanda bent low and put her face directly in front of mine. The tears in her eyes made me ache inside.

"You stay here with Jimmy, Joan, and give the van a good going over – I'm going to check on my dad" she rushed out in a low whisper. Looking up at Jimmy, she said

"Watch Joan for a few minutes would you Jimmy?" then without waiting for an answer, she quickly rose and walked quickly to the detective. I didn't like the idea of letting her out of my sight. Even worse, I found myself very worried about Pete. I realized that I had grown very close to him in a very short time.

"Take me to my father" she said. He spoke quickly to one of the uniformed cops and together they hurried away. Distracted as we were, together, Jimmy and I turned our attention to the van.


End file.
